Save big this season with pretty presents you can easily make yourself.

Crafty Candleholders

Crafty Candleholders

The trick to transforming plain glass votive holders ($1 each; pier1.com)? Humble upholstery webbing (80 cents per yard; onlinefabricstore.net). Simply cut a piece of webbing to the same length as the holder's circumference; then trim the webbing a tad bit shorter than the holder's height. Coat the webbing's raw edges with Mod Podge to prevent fraying; let dry for 20 minutes. Next, affix the webbing around the holder with thin lines of hot glue and let dry for five minutes. Package a few of these beauties together with scented­ candles inside and cross someone off your list.

Play With Your Memory

Play With Your Memory

For this clever project, CL contributing editor Cathe Holden's already done most of the hard work — assembling a slew of vintage images (courtesy of The Graphics Fairy) into four easy-to-print PDFs: 1, 2, 3, 4. Print out two copies of each PDF onto 8 1/2" x 11" card stock. With a foam brush, apply Mod Podge to the back of each card-stock printout before adhering it to colored mat board ($3.50 for 20" x 32" board; dickblick.com).

Let dry for two hours, then top with an additional coat of Mod Podge (test your printer ink to ensure it doesn't smudge before applying glue). Allow another hour drying time. To keep game pieces from sticking together when stacked, lightly wipe both sides of the board with baby powder and a cloth. Finally, cut out the game pieces with an ­X-Acto knife, then stash them in a cute catchall, like this toy truck.